Wear What You Make: New Year, Enough You

Wear What You Make: New Year, Enough You

After an old year draws to a close, with all the heightened frenzy of the holidays, the month of January glides in with so much fresh promise. The first page on a new a calendar brings with it the possibility of transformation. We all know the drill, out with the bad habits and in with the virtuous ones! Now unless this new year will have more hours in each day, it stands to reason many of the changes we desire, will not in fact manifest. At least not in the expected way.

Deep down inside, we all just want a quick fix, but the reality is, change happens slowly and is often a long and trying process. As knitters, we know slow. Each stitch of a hat, shawl or sweater must be formed individually. Shifting behavior isn’t something that happens overnight, nor is it necessarily a linear progression. For every positive step, there can be an accompanying negative or maybe lukewarm one. It’s a circuitous pattern for sure!

Did you make a commitment to do something new this year? Maybe you have wardrobe objectives, to make more of what you wear or finally get organized with a journal or start a daily meditation practice. Slot in any expectation here and what often happens is a strong start, then those intentions dwindle as March comes around. Maybe instead of a twelve month outlook, we need to take a page from the world of business and break things down into three month or seasonal segments. View it as an opportunity to reassess and adjust if necessary.

Because you and I won’t be the same people 365 days from today. Life will happen and throw unexpected things in our path as it invariably does. How we adapt and reframe is key, because when we focus on failures, it clouds everything else in our life that might be just fine. Say you ate take out every night instead of cooking the healthy meals you planned. You nourished yourself in the most convenient way because life is hectic and there’s always next week. Or perhaps you only knit one sweater instead of the six you intended. That garment is one more glorious handknit object in the world today because of you, so bravo!

Maybe 2019 needs to be about finding ways to celebrate things we like about ourselves, retelling our story with the focus on the pragmatic. Strive for more compassion when it comes to all the faults and foibles we see as outsize, but really are just a part of what makes us individuals. The world would be a better and calmer place with more woolen things, healthy meals, walks on the beach, daily meditation or what have you, but not every day and not all at once.

About the author

SonyaPhilip is an artist, designer and teacher. In 2012, Sonya started 100 Acts of Sewing, which involved making dresses while documenting the process on the project’s website. Since then, she has made it her mission to convince people to make their own clothes, by teaching classes and selling patterns. When not covered in bits of thread, she can be found knitting another shawl or cardigan. Sonya lives in San Francisco with her family and their scruffy terrier duo, Willie and Hazel.

Thanks Sonya for your wise words. I so love seeing your beautiful outfits,and being reminded to be pragmatic and seasonal in our resolutions and life changes is good advice. Thank you. Happy New Season! Ellen

Once again, Thank You Sonya! Whenever I see “Wear What You Make” in my MDK e-mail, I get all excited, and I’m never disappointed. I think this may be my favorite of all your essays. As Misa said, you spread joy.

I am always so thrilled when Sonya comes to have a closet consultation with me in my inbox! Her confidence and knitwear stylings leave me wanting more color, more joy, more knits on my body. Knit it, wear it, share it.

‘Not every day and not all at once’ – perfect words. I need to remember to not berate myself for not accomplishing all the knitting I dream of, but instead remembering that even one finished project is a glorious new handknit object out in the world. We knitters should always remember the value of that!

Cue standing ovation! I don’t do “New Year’s Resolutions” per se, but I do try to take the month of January to check in with myself, evaluate what’s working and what’s not, and reformat my personal and professional goals. I LOVE the idea of doing this every three months, though. Once a year is just not often enough to keep myself on a clear path. And a slowly-prepared, multi-course, home-cooked meal with friends and family is exactly the kind of thing we all need – and deserve – to enjoy more often.